First Things First

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest,

I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.

Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest

at the expense of God and instead of God,

I shall be moving towards the state in which

I shall not love my earthly dearest at all.

When first things are put first,

second things are not suppressed but increased. 


~ C. S. Lewis, Letters of C.S. Lewis (8 November, 1952) ~